Smallville Season 11 Metropolis
by athena606
Summary: A/N So the finale was a actually a season finale leaving us with a kickass cliffhanger…  **warning although I'm a big Tollie fan there will be some Chlollie at the beginning. Also just like the show the main pairing is Clark and Lois
1. Episode 1  Superman Part 1

A/N So the finale was a actually a season finale leaving us with a kickass cliffhanger… [**warning although I'm a big Tollie fan there will be some Chlollie at the beginning. Also just like the show the main pairing is Clark and Lois]

Episode 11x1 **Superman –Part1**

He couldn't stop looking up at the sky. Clark had done it. He'd defeated the darkness. Oliver smiled as he felt his cell buzzing.

"Chloe… Did you see that? It was amazing! I mean…"

Chloe interrupted him. "Ollie, all of our systems are up and I found Tess but… she's fading fast."

"Where is she?"

"LuthorCorp… she's on the top…" the phone disconnected. Oliver took off running toward the tallest building in the city.

_Hold on Mercy_, he thought to himself, _I'm coming_.

He was gasping for breath as he reached the glass doors to the building.

Oliver burst into the office seeing Lex staring out the window. "What the hell did you do to her?"

Lex turned to face him. "Who are you?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes at him and shook his head. He walked toward the limp body in the middle of the porcelain floor and kneeled down touching a pool of her blood. He noticed her chest barely rising and her pulse was shallow.

"Damn it! You bastard! Where you just going to let her bleed out?" He growled as he lifted her into his arms and turned to leave. "I've got you… you're going to be fine. Just hold on, Mercy…"

She'd got an exclusive interview with the president and was the first person to see the world's savior up close and personal. Lois smiled to herself. As Lois was exiting the plane she saw a tall man run through the crowd. She could hear him excusing himself as he worked his way through the crowd and smiled to herself.

"Smallville…" she said with a sigh as she rushed into his waiting arms. "You did it…" she whispered into his ear. "I'm so proud of you."

Clark smiled at her pushing back his glasses. He leaned down and touched her forehead with his whispering against her lips, "because you believed in me..."

Clark closed the gap and molded his lips with hers. Lois moaned into his mouth and opened up to him as she touched the side of his face when her phone started ringing. She groaned into the kiss and pulled back rolling her eyes.

"Seriously," Clark whined," who is it?"

Lois let her eyes glance up at him. With a frightened look she showed him the text. "It's from Chloe, she found Tess… she said she's at LuthorCorp but her vitals seem to be fading; she managed to get through to Oliver first…"

Lois looked down at the phone. "Clark…"

"Try getting through to him and tell him to meet me at the roof. I can get her to help faster." he said before disappearing into the crowd.

Lois looked up to see a burst of blue and red in the sky. She smiled. Lois bit her lip. "Go get 'em, Smallville."

Oliver knew she needed to get to a hospital immediately as he ran out of the office with Tess in his arms. He knew he was taking a risk but he took the stairs up to the roof. He Hoped Clark would hear him calling out or that Chloe got through to him or Lois. It's the only chance she had.

He fell to his knees he's cradling her in his arms and screamed out for their friend. "You're going to be fine Mercy just hold on, ok? Remember the island… you know you're tough. Hell, you dealt with my anger for months and look at us know… we're friends… really… really great friends… Tess, don't leave me…"

"Oliver, let me take her… you can meet us at the hospital." Clark landed on the rooftop in front of him. He took Tess from Oliver's arms as Oliver nods numbly.

He watched his friend fly off with a soft smile wondering if he'll ever get used to seeing one of his best friends fly.

Lois rushed in to Met Gen. She glanced around at the chaos around her when she bumped into Clark.

"She's in with the doctors. She was stabbed in the stomach. Luckily, it seems to have missed her major organs but she's lost a lot of blood. They just don't know…" he shook his head sadly.

"Wow, some wedding day huh, Smallville." Lois mumbled as she sat down. "I've had enough highs and lows today to get a clear picture of what being bi-polar must feel like."

He cracked a smile as he bent down and grabbed her hands. He loved how she could always make him smile even in the worst of times.

"I love you." he brushed her hair behind her ear. "I know today didn't turn out as we planned…"

Lois stopped him with a finger to his lips. "Stop right there Clark first of all, I love you too and second it's not like you planned for a crazy despot god to try to take over the planet by hurling his planet straight at us just so you wouldn't get married!"

They both smile at each other.

"We'll try again Lois and next time the General will be there to walk you down the aisle"

"Oh I don't know… I kind of liked walking down hand in hand with you… I don't think anything else could be as special."

Still staring at each other they didn't notice the intrusion.

Oliver cleared his throat. "It's nice to know that a little thing like an actual apocalypse can't stop the two of you from a nauseating display of sugary sweetness."

Clark blushed as Lois laughed and stood up to give him a hug. "I'm glad you're okay… How is she?"

"She's still in surgery." Oliver answered. "Emil doesn't know if she's going to make it…"

"Oliver…" Lois started with a shake of her head. "This is Tess we're talking about… if anyone can survive this… it's her."

Oliver nodded sadly. "It's just… you didn't see her on that floor, Lois… all the blood. Lex barely acknowledged her. How can he do that? To his own sister…"

"Lex killed his own father, Oliver." She argued. "Let's not forget that."

"Lois is right, Oliver…" Clark jumped in. "Tess is going to be fine."

"Oliver…"

They turned toward Emil who was standing in the doorway.

"How is she?" Oliver asked as he stepped toward their friend. "Did she make it out of surgery okay?"

Emil turned toward him with a solemn expression. "She's alive…"

"But…" Oliver sensed he wasn't telling them something.

"Lex pinched a vial nerve when he stabbed her…"

"What does that mean?" Lois asked.

Clark closed his eyes realizing what Emil was trying to tell them.

"It means that if she does ever wake up… she might not walk."

"What do you mean not walk?" Oliver asked.

"Tess might be paralyzed from the waist down…" Emil sighed sadly. "I'm sorry…"

Oliver took a step back feeling numb. He shook his head before turning toward the hospital doors.

"Oliver…." Clark called out. "Where are you going?"

"To find Lex!" Oliver glared.

"And what are you going to do?" Clark asked. "Kill him?"

"That's low even for you, Clark."

"You're not thinking straight right now…" Clark said. "Tess needs you right now, Oliver."

He stopped and turned toward his friend.

"She needs all of us…" Clark said.

Oliver nodded sadly and walked toward him. "But Lex…"

"Let me take care of Lex…" Clark said. Lois chimes with, "Or Superman…."

Both men look towards her, Lois smiles," I guess neither of you has seen the Daily Planets evening edition."

Oliver nodded and walked down the hall to Emil who led him toward Tess' room.

Lois walked up to Clark and held his hand. "This is bad, Clark."

"I know…" Clark nodded. "I know…"

"I can't believe it's only been two days since everything happened. Thanks to Superman you can't even tell we almost all died." Lois said

"Speaking of which, how did Clark take the name change, Lois?" Chloe smiled looking at her cousin. She was packing up some clothes to take to Oliver since he hadn't left Tess' side since she was admitted two days earlier. She frowned in thought. Despite their history she did want Tess to come out of her coma.

"Well…. You know Smallville… he's too modest even for his own good. But honestly, aside from the initial eyebrow quirk he's yet to actually say anything. I think he secretly likes it." Lois smirked.

Chloe quirked her eyebrow in response.

"And he has been really busy cleaning up the mess left by Darkseid and his minions." She shrugged with a laugh. "Don't get me wrong… I knew what I was signing up for. Its ironic though isn't it? In the end I'm every bit the army wife my mother was. Well technically I'm not a wife just yet…"

"Lois, you know in his heart you've been his wife for a really long time. I think he even whined about how you nagged him when we were still in high school." Chloe chuckled. "It's just a matter of making it legal that all."

"I know that…. We don't need some paper to tell us what we mean to each other… I'm just not sure planning events is my strong suit… from your birthday party possession to this recent fiasco, I'm thinking I might actually be jinxed or something."

Chloe shook her head with a smile and wrapped an arm around her cousin's shoulder. "Lois, have I told you how happy I am that you know the secret? It's like I have you back again. And I know a lot of the distance was my fault but I really missed you."

Returning the hug, Lois smiled," I missed you too baby…"

"She named him Superman, can you believe it? Yeah, I know what you're thinking... It's just like Lois to do it…" Oliver once again looked down at Tess as he kept talking to her. "You know I'm really getting tired of holding up your end of the conversation. Don't you think it's time you woke up already, Red?"

"Oliver…" Chloe tentatively whispered as she walked into the room.

Oliver looked up at the sound of Chloe voice." Hey how long you been there?"

"Not very long. I just got here. Air Kent's been a bit busy so I had to rely on normal means of transportation. Lois filled me in…"

Oliver nodded distractedly as he examined Tess' hand. "I'd have sworn this morning she squeezed my hand... Emil tried to tell me that it was just a reflex and the longer she goes with out waking up the less likely it'll be…"

"She's going to going to wake up. She's tough. You have to believe that…" Chloe assured him.

He looked up at her with defeat clouding his eyes.

Chloe stroked his head softly."I believe it."

He nodded his head slowly before turning his face toward her and leaning his head against her belly.

"You should go get some sleep…."

"Chloe, I can't…"

"I'm going to be right here. I won't leave her side until you get back. Emil said you could use his private office to shower and get some sleep so go…"

Oliver looked back and forth between both women. They were both so important to him. He wondered if they both knew just how important they both were in his world.

He nodded against her flat stomach before turning back to the comatose woman on the bed. He leaned down giving her a chaste kiss on her forehead before turning back to the supportive woman at his side. He kissed her softly. Chloe raised her hand to his face and caressed his cheek lovingly. He pulled back with a smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too…" she grinned before he leaned down to kiss her again. Chloe pulled back and signaled to the door. "Go."

He walked toward the door and turned back toward her. "Thank you, Chloe."

She watched him leave down the hall and sighed deeply before occupying the same seat he'd recently abandoned.

"Thought I'd find you here…" Clark said as he walked into Lois' office. He straightened his tie and smiled at seeing her busy at work.

She smiled up at him as he leaned in to kiss her.

"I can't do hospitals, Clark; I figured the best thing I can do for Tess is to make sure Lex doesn't get away with stabbing her."

"Lois, I thought we decided I'd take care of it."

She stood beginning to pace back and forth as Clark leaned against her desk and crossed his arms watching her.

"Yeah well, I figured reporting an attempted murder wasn't really interfering. But my source said the office was clean."

"That's not exactly surprising, Lois. Covering up his tracks is something Lex's been doing since before I met him."

"True. But here's the part that's going to make you scratch your head…"

"Lois, what did you do?"

"He stabbed one of our closest friends Clark and just left her there to bleed out. You don't mess with family… Especially not our family..."

Clark straightened and stopped in front of her to wrap his arm around her. "I know, Lo. He'll get his… We just have to be careful. I didn't want to worry you earlier…"

She eyed him curiously.

"Lex knows who I am."

"That's the thing, Clark. I don't think he does."

Clark looked at her with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I stormed into his office to tell him what a murdering Son of a Bitch he was..."

"Lois!"

She ignored his outburst and continued. "He looked at me like it was the first time he'd ever met me."

"Well pretending not to know you is not new…"

"That's just it…." Lois said. "He wasn't pretending… trust me I know the difference between the two and Lex had absolutely no idea who I was."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know…." Lois shook her head. "But I think there's an even bigger mystery and Lex Luthor is once again smack in the middle of it."


	2. Episode 1  Superman Part 2

Episode 1 –Superman- Part 2

As he walked towards Tess' room he couldn't stop thinking about what Lois had said. Was Lex just messing with them? Setting them up on yet another convoluted game or could he really not know them? Clark distractedly entered the room and saw a different blonde then the one he was expecting.

"Chloe! When did you get here? Why didn't you call me? I'd have…"

"Clark, its alright I got here a couple of hours ago and I know how busy you've been with everything..." Chloe said smiling at her best friend as she stood up.

"Chloe, you know I'm never too busy to come get you." he said as they embraced in a comforting hug.

"I didn't realize how much I needed that, thanks Clark."

He gave her a small smile, " So how did you manage to get Oliver to take a break?"

She shrugged. "Perks of being the wife..."

Clark eyed her with confusion.

"Honestly Clark your non-verbal's say more than sermons. I… I don't know ok… I walked in and I felt like I was interrupting you know…"

"Chloe, you know Oliver loves you. Tess is just… you know... his first love and even though we eventually move on and realize that they weren't what was meant for us it doesn't mean that we ever stop caring about them…"

"Clark, I get what you're trying to say but Oliver isn't you. He didn't spend his entire adolescence pining after Tess. He essentially got scared and screwed up and then when he tried again she got scared and screwed up. The bond they share... this unspoken understanding about why they do the things they do... its still there. And lets face it... at the highlight of you and Lana; well you guys never had that. That is what you have with Lois."

"Chloe, it's what he has with you..." he stressed to her.

"I know you're trying to help and don't get me wrong Clark, its not that I doubt that he loves me… I'm just beginning to wonder if I'm meant to be the long haul girl… maybe that's just not who I am." She said with a sigh as she sat back down.

Clark sat in a chair next to her, silently offering comfort as he held her hand.

_**CRASH!**_

The loud noise ricocheted through the penthouse. His penthouse. This was all his… He supposed if he had to be a complete blank slate it helped that he got to do it as a billionaire. But he had to have written something down. Some clue as to who he was and not just what he read online. Those pictures of him with supermodels and at gala events said nothing to him. They revealed nothing. He'd been married three times according to his biography. Two marriages were quickly annulled. Although one wife ended up in prison the other seemed to just disappear. His third wife seemed of particular interest. Lana Lang Luthor was stunning. They all were. Clearly he had a thing for beautiful brunettes. But he couldn't stop staring at her image. He divorced this one and apparently was once accused of her murder. But he was exonerated. Was she actually still alive? There seemed to be no record of her but he had a feeling that it was more of her doing than his. Maybe she could fill in the pieces. After all to reveal to any of his employees that he didn't know who he was would be seen as a weakness. He would be admitted into Belle Reeve by sundown. Even though he might not remember much he knew enough to know that was something he shouldn't allow to happen. He'd retrace this woman's steps. Lana Lang Luthor. If she were alive, she'd have dropped the Luthor. She might have even dropped the Lang to go underground. Who else's last name could she have taken? Lex opened up his laptop and began to search. Did she have any other family in Smallville?

_He was running in the dark. He had to get to her. He had to save her. She was lying in a pool of blood. Dying. Dead. Red hair. Blonde hair. Red hair. Blonde like the sun. Red like blood._

Oliver woke with a start. He sucked in a deep breath and rubbed his face feeling the sweat on his brow. The nightmare wouldn't stop showing him that he'd been too late. He was always too late. Oliver rubbed his hands over his face a little more roughly and shook his head. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep after that.

"Oliver, sorry didn't mean to wake you." Emil said as he walked in.

Oliver shrugged. " Don't worry about it. Has there been any change?"

"I'm sorry Oliver... But no..." he sighed. "Honestly at this point its all up to her."

Oliver stretched as he stood up. "She'll wake up Emil. I know she will she's just got to remember she's got a reason too."

As he walked down the corridor he saw Clark walk out of Tess' room and head toward him. "We need to talk"

"Okay…" Oliver stretched the word trying to sound as lighthearted as he could in front of his friend. He nodded curtly. "Talk."

Clark he raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Let's head up to the roof. I have to leave anyway." Clark said as he led them toward the elevator.

Oliver followed Clark toward the elevator and silently boarded behind him. He watched Clark punch the number to a floor and smiled tightly at his foreboding friend.

Ding… 7th floor…

Ding 9th Floor….

Ding 11th Floor….

Ding 14th Floor …

"You ever wonder why they skip the 13th floor? I mean its not like we don't know it's the 13th floor..." Oliver said. The silence was starting to bother him.

"Hmmm…." Clark shrugged.

… Ding 17th floor…

"We've got to walk from here." Clark said as he walked towards the stairwell.

"Clark man… you're killing me… this is worse than our desert walk… I mean I haven't kissed Lois lately, so I'm not that worried I'll go flying off the roof but still..."

Clark smirked back at him." Trust me, Oliver, if you'd kissed Lois lately... flying off the roof would be the least of your worries."

He winked as he opened the door to the roof.

"Well that's comforting… I guess." Oliver said stepping out behind him.

"Sorry for the mystery but I don't want to worry Chloe about this... plus I kind of want to talk about her as well and … well Tess too…" Clark said a bit uncomfortably.

"Alright then Big Blue... business first." Oliver slowly smiled as he leaned back again the door.

"Big Blue? Don't you think I have enough code names what with the one Lois decided on?" Clark said as he rolled his eyes.

Oliver laughed. "You love it man. It's got to feel good for the woman you love to want to name you..." Oliver whispered with a grin. "Superman... Besides with the amount of blue you wear I think its fits and well Big Red was taken."

"That's good to know." Clark said on a half smile. "And I don't plan on admitting I like it any time soon. So…"

" Don't worry Clark your secret's safe with me."

Clark cleared his throat suddenly. "Ok onto the business... Lois confronted Lex…"

"What! Is she insane? He just stabbed his own sister!" Oliver said straightening up quickly.

Clark held up his hand. "I know. Trust me, I already went there. But I have to admit her going in head first paid off. Something's off with Lex. He didn't know who she was."

Oliver just shrugged." So he pretended to not know Lois…"

"That's what I thought but Lois… She thinks there's more to it and I'm starting to agree with her. The only thing I can figure is something happened to him between the time I last saw him when he knew everything and the time you found him with Tess. Did he recognize you?"

Oliver tried to think back on that day and shook his head. "I was more concerned with getting Tess out... but he did act weird."

Clark arched his eyebrow.

"Weirder than he usually acts anyway."

"See?" Clark asked.

Oliver nodded agreeing. "Which means only Tess can tell us for sure what happened."

Clark nodded solemnly.

Oliver he ran his fingers through his hair. "She needs to wake up Clark. The longer she stays like this…"

Clark stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I know… I spoke to Emil earlier. And I spoke to Chloe. Oliver, I know how important Tess is to you but…"

" I know I'm married, Clark. I have a great wife who loves me. And I love her... I do…" Oliver said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"But…" Clark volunteered.

"But… In an odd way they both made me who I am. Tess was the first person I wanted to be a hero for. I wasn't a kid when I met her Clark. I was floundering, running around spending my trust fund. I'd basically decided no body was worth it. And then I met her and realized somebody was … It freaked me out loving somebody that much and I messed it all up. Then there's Chloe... once again I'd lost myself and she showed me the way back. I just thought I'd moved on you know. I was so angry at Tess and then we developed this truce and then for the first time in our relationship we were actually friends…" Oliver drifted off.

" I'm sorry Oliver. I'm not trying to interfere or… I don't know…I just don't want to see any of you get hurt." Clark said as he placed a comforting hand on his friends shoulder. "Not you, not Chloe and definitely not Tess."

"Sometimes that's inevitable Clark... Sometimes it just is what it is…" Oliver said as he headed back down to Tess' room and his wife.

As she crawled out of the laundry vent Lois couldn't believe what had just happened. She'd told Clark she'd let him handle it and she meant it. But the lure of the story was just too strong.

_She'd decided to do a little recon on Lex's penthouse but who knew she'd get trapped there and witness him wrecking stuff. She knew she was right. He wasn't pretending. He didn't know who she was or anyone else for that matter. It was there in his eyes... the barely concealed panic. Men like Lex didn't like being out of control._

"The least you could do is tell me what exactly you were doing there. And I just helped you get out of Laney…" He said.

Lois stopped dusting herself off and looked up slowly towards the voice. First seeing long legs in dark trousers a narrow waist with broad shoulders finally up to his dark eyes twinkling with amusement as he offered her a hand up from her crouching position.

"Must you call me that? And this is so not the place to have this conversation." She said in between clenched teeth.

The handsome dark haired man smiled his perfect smile at her. "Hey I'm not the one that was spying in Lex Luthor's penthouse and who nearly got caught if I hadn't made such an elaborate distraction."

He was right. She hated it when other people were right.

_She was right under his desk and he was headed straight for it after slamming the door behind him. _

_"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor but your 2 o'clock is here."_

_"Send them away... Reschedule for another day. I don't care just get rid of them." Lex said. It was clear to her he was exasperated with the secretary._

"_Luthor, if you think you can just blow me off yet again..." a new voice walked in to Lex's private study._

_Lois recognized the voice. It'd been some time but she'd recognize it anywhere._

"_I'm so sorry Mr. Luthor... The gentleman insisted and…"_

"_Just go! Look its not a very good time as you can see… I'll be happy to pick this up, say tomorrow?" Lex said._

_Lois could just see the wheels in Lex's head spinning trying to find a way to know who the man was. That's when she caught the man's eye. She knew he'd help if only to tease her merciless about it later. He suddenly coughed trying to cover up amused laughter._

"_Well Luthor, I suppose I can afford to be patient. Why don't you walk me out to the elevator and we'll discuss the when and where?"_

"_Fine..." Lex said as they walked out of the study. _

_Lois took the opportunity to shimmy her way back into the air vent and made her way out of the penthouse._

"Wait did you just say elaborate distraction? You knew I was there all along didn't you?" Lois said on a huff.

He helped her up with a smug grin. "Oh come on Laney, you didn't think I'd walk into Lex Luthor's office with out sweeping the place first did you?"

"Well its nice to know your sense of paranoia is still intact." Lois said as she smiled back at her old friend.

"Ah, and finally I get a smile." The dark haired man said smiling back at her.

"Don't get too excited now…" Lois said flashing him her engagement ring.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "So the rumors are true… I can't wait to meet the poor bastard who decided he could take you on. But first... how about you clue me in."

She scowled at him. "How about you tell me what your doing in Metropolis and meeting with Lex Luthor... I didn't know you two were friends…" Lois said as they made their way out of the back of the building into the alley.

"We're not exactly... Friends." he smirked at her.

Lois rolled her eyes at him.

"But, I did spend a semester at Excelsior which is where I first met the bald wonder as you like to call him." he shrugged. "And stop changing the subject, Lois. You could've gotten seriously hurt. I have it on good authority that Luthor isn't to be trifled with." He said all humor gone from his visage.

"That's exactly the subject. See Luthor over there." Lois said pointing back at the building down the block. "Just stabbed his own sister, who happens to be a friend of mine – one of my bridesmaids to be exact – and there's no evidence to be found."

"Of course there isn't. Men like Luthor don't leave evidence. You should know that." He said as they stopped at the crosswalk.

"I know that but that doesn't mean I'm going to just sit back twiddling my thumbs in the mean time." Lois was starting to get agitated.

"And the idea of leaving it to the police to figure out never crossed your mind...?"

"Oh please… pot meet kettle... I'd think of all people you'd be the last one to lecture me on taking things into my own hands." She said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You're not me! And this isn't just some petty criminal or that guy I had to save you from in Bangkok, Lois this guy's dangerous. I think you should just let me handle it."

"What! Oh please… I'm hardly a fragile…. And I didn't need you that one time to save me..."

He held up his hand to her as he took out his cell to read over the text message he'd just received.

NEW INTEL... RETURN TO THE CAVE ASAP… AP

"Look I have to go but don't think this conversation is over." He turned around to leave but stopped to spin back toward her and kissed her quickly on the mouth. "There's never a dull moment with you, is there Laney?" He winked and hurried off.

"Did he just… urghhh… " She swiped her mouth as she headed back toward the Daily Planet. She needed a lead on what happened to Lex and she wasn't going to find it on the sidewalk.

He flew through the night sky circling the hospital he watched Oliver walk into Tess' room. He felt bad for his friends. But he couldn't make this decision for Oliver. Oliver had to figure things out on his own. He was tired of interfering with other people's personal lives. He learned his lesson. People had to make their own decisions, their own mistakes. He spun around flying towards Lex's penthouse and found him typing furiously on his laptop. He was clearly looking for something. He debated confronting him but if Lois was right, and he believed she was, what possible reason could Superman have for talking to Lex Luthor. He continued flying while keeping an eye on the city. He smiled finding that familiar heartbeat in the crowds. It led him home.

She was on the roof of the Daily Planet waiting for him. She smiled at him as he descended into her waiting arms.

"It's been a long couple of days, huh Smallville?" Lois asked tracing the \S/ on his chest.

He sighed." As long as they all end like this we'll be fine."

She smiled as the sun set behind him giving the city of Metropolis a soft glow.

- End of Chapter 1-


	3. Episode 2 Metropolis Part 1

**Episode 11x02 Metropolis **

She slowly shifted her body toward the warm heat emitting next to her. She ran her hand through his soft hair as he licked her face.

Lois sat up in bed and scowled when she realized Shelby was in bed with her instead of Clark.

She fell back onto the bed in defeat. "Ugh Shelby… Stop that... You're hardly the big warm body I wanted in my bed thankyouverymuch…"

She playfully pushed the wriggling dog off the bed.

"I guess Clark didn't make it home after all…" Lois sighed as she walked with Shelby out of their bedroom towards the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee before she showered.

"It's ok…" Lois yawned." It's not like I was looking forward to a little alone time with my fiancé… if you know what I mean…" she winked at the excited dog as he happily followed her to the kitchen.

The aroma of coffee let her know that her fiancé had already been there. She bit her lip in amusement when she saw the bright red tulips sitting on top of the table and walked over to them with a grin on her face. Leaning over the table she inhaled the sweet scent and giggled.

"God Lois… Stop acting like such a girl…" she shook her head as she reached for the note on top of the flowers.

_Good Morning! Sorry about last night and this morning. The league needed me down in South America but I'll be back for lunch… Hopefully… I miss you already…_

_Love Clark_

She smiled broadly as she reread his note. "Seriously Shelbs, he stops to bring me flowers, a note, and he puts the coffee on… he's going to get so lucky if I can ever get my hands on him…" Lois said as she made her way back to the bathroom to get ready for another day in the busy city of Metropolis.

Sometimes, being a hero really got in the way. He'd had time to leave her the flowers and let Shelby into the bedroom. Clark smiled with amusement imagining her face when she woke up cuddled up to the dog instead of him. He laughed out loud, his laughter carrying off into the wind. But the truth was he'd much rather be lying in bed with his fiancé. Since the day before their botched wedding he hadn't gotten to spend any real time with Lois and he hated it. He knew she supported him and his destiny but there wasn't anything in his world more important than her and he needed to make sure she understood that. Plus not spending time with Lois made him moody, Oliver had said. Bart and the rest of the team had agreed quickly. Clark scowled. They were late.

She loved being at the Planet with the hustle and bustle of a busy newsroom. This was where Lois was always meant to be. There was only one place that felt better. She blushed when a secret smile graced her face. Being with Clark had really turned her into a sap. She distractedly backed into her office, stopping when she saw a pair of men's shoes resting on her desk.

"Finally!" Lois said a smile on her face as she spun around.

"Well Hello to you too Laney. I didn't think you'd be _that_ excited to see me…" he winked.

"What are you doing here?" she rolled her eyes at him. "And what are you doing lounging on my desk?" She groaned as she slapped his feet off. He grabbed Lois pulling her onto his lap.

Clark walked into her office. The smile on his face from earlier fell to a frown. "LOIS!"

"Ahhh hell!" Lois groaned as she jumped up. "This is SO not what it looks like, Smallville!" She said as she proceeded to punch her old friend on the shoulder.

"Ok…" Clark slowly adjusted his tie trying to control his temper. "What is it then?"

Lois could swear she just saw red flash in eyes and not in the way she normally enjoys seeing it flash either. She stepped in Clark's line of vision wondering if her soon to be ex-friend knew how close he was to turning into a crispy critter.

"Well let me guess you must be the fiancé? Not exactly what I pictured. I'm…"

"An old friend…" Lois cut him off. "From when I was kid and daddy used to drag me around the world."

" Yes. I'm the fiancé. And who exactly are you?" Clark asked not liking the smug smirk on the other man's face at all.

"Oh, pardon my manners. I'm Bruce. Bruce Wayne." He offered his hand out to Clark.

Bruce was enjoying himself immensely wondering just how far he could push the super powered being. Bruce was pretty sure he was right in his assumption that Clark Kent and The Blur now Superman, were one and the same.

"Clark Kent…" he responded taking Bruce's hand in his. Lois looked on horrified at the clear display of male aggression as they proceeded to squeeze each other's hands.

"Ok!" Lois said as she threw her hand over theirs. "That's enough of that. I am still in the room. And for the record Clark, Bruce is being an ass… it's kind of a permanent condition. And Bruce, stop messing with Clark… we both know you're in no way actually interested."

She was exasperated with both men.

Clark squeezed Bruce's hand just a smidge harder before he finally let go. He moved as close to Lois' side as he possibly could without literally hauling her into his side. Lois raised her eyebrow at him with annoyance knowing he was already marking his territory around her.

"Wait! Bruce Wayne? As in Wayne Industries?" Clark asked.

"The one and only. But please call me Bruce. Laney does."

Clark looked at Lois. "Laney?"

"Didn't I already tell you to stop calling me that?" Lois clenched her teeth.

"Another Billionaire? Really?" Clark asked with an eye roll. He turned to Lois with more annoyance than earlier.

What was with him and billionaires and why were all the women he dated constantly surrounded by them?

Lex's private jet landed in a small airstrip on the outskirts of Paris. He'd finally tracked down his elusive ex-wife. It turned out Lana Lang-Luthor had a flair for the dramatic. Since he'd found her hiding in plain sight teaching art in a small village under the name of Laura Leger. It was clear that he'd married her for more than just her pretty face.

He was right outside her classroom at the end of the school day and he could hear her encouraging words to her students.

"C'est ça…" she was smiling at the one blonde haired boy who smiled up at her.

"l'image dans votre esprit en premier…" she winked at a bright-eyed girl clearly in the throes of hero worship.

"Et juste laisser couler…."

He felt as entranced by her as her students. He wondered what went wrong. Why he'd ever let this enchantress go.

The bell rang bringing him back to reality.

"Au revoir, à demain… " She called as they all left. She was putting her things away with her back to him when she spoke.

"What do want Lex? Haven't we done this dance enough times already?"

He had to admit he was impressed. She had made no indication she knew he was even there.

"Well?" Lana asked exasperated as she turned towards him.

What did he want? She'd hoped he'd just forget about her but then again she knew Lex better than that. She supposed she could've asked Clark for protection but that no longer felt right. He'd moved on and while a part of her would always miss him she was happy the ride was over.

"Look, haven't we done this already…. Shanghai comes to mind… It never ends well, Lex."

"Laura Leger… I have to say its brilliant… Your mother's name and your father's name in French... But it might have worked better if you'd resisted the urge to alliterate." Lex smirked hoping she wouldn't see past his façade at the anxiety he was actually feeling.

"Maybe we could go somewhere and talk…" Lex said leading her out the door with his hand reaching her lower back.

Lana glanced down at his hand quirked an eyebrow.

She was intrigued it'd been some time since Lex was this out right congenial. He clearly wanted something and she'd play long. She knew how to play this game better than anyone.

"Ok, but only because I expect you to forget you found me afterwards." She said as she reached for her purse leading him to the nearby café.

"What are you even doing here?" Lois asked trying to get a handle on the deteriorating exchange.

"Oh… I just wanted to make sure I was around in case you needed saving again…" Bruce answered with a wide grin. It was clear to Lois that he was enjoying himself.

"Again?" she heard Clark blurt out.

Lois just threw herself back onto the sofa in exasperation.

"Tsk tsk… Bad girl, Laney, not telling the fiancé about our adventure…" Bruce really was enjoying himself. He'd forgotten how much fun he had whenever he was any where near the lovely Miss Lane.

"Lois. What haven't you been telling me?"

Lois looked at Bruce wishing she were the one that could shoot fire out of her eyes after hearing the concern in Clark's voice.

Clark was feeling completely out of the loop. Lois hadn't said anything to him last night. Of course he'd had to leave the minute he'd set her on their roof. And Bruce Wayne… just how well did they know each other he wondered with annoyance.

"Ok he's..." she was pointing at Bruce as she continued. "He's exaggerating. I had everything under control." Lois finished purposely speaking to only Clark.

"Oh, sure that's why you were stuck under Lex's desk just as he was about to sit behind it." Bruce winked leaning his back on the closed door as he crossed his arms.

He'd also been curious about "the back from the dead" Lex Luthor. Not to mention wanting to prove his theory about Superman/Clark Kent. But he didn't see why he couldn't enjoy himself in the process.

"Ugh! Could you stop talking?" Lois growled rolling her eyes at Bruce. Though usually she enjoyed her old friend this was not how she'd have had him meet Clark.

Plus another part of her couldn't help but wonder what Batman wanted in Metropolis as well.

"You didn't mention any of this last night Lois." Clark said with a frown.

"Hmmm... trouble in paradise..." Bruce debated dropping hints about the kiss but he was pretty sure Lois wouldn't forgive him for it. And well it could prove useful in proving his theory, he smiled to himself.

"Hmmm… Bruce why don't you tell us what you're doing in Metropolis… And if you brought your night owl friend along for the ride." Lois asked hoping that mentioning his alter ego would finally put a mussel on him.

Bruce smiled down at her. "Never leave home without him"

"Your very own AMEX card… how sweet…." Lois smirked.

Clark looked back and forth between the two, clearly they were talking in code and Clark didn't like it one bit.

He cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting again? Should I leave you two alone?"

"Clark…" Lois sighed. This was new territory for her. How does one introduce one's kinda sort of ex-boyfriend whose still very much a friend and just a friend to your fiancé? Lois was feeling a bit out of her debt. Clark was usually the one with the awkward, emotional relationship baggage not her.

"Well that's my cue to go..." Bruce said as he walked out the door with a knowing smirk.

Clark was about to walk after Bruce when Lois jumped up to stop him. "Clark, will you stop letting him bait you like that?" Lois asked. "Bruce is just an old friend. Nothing more… there's no need to go all 'me Tarzan, you Jane' on him." She smiled trying to insert a bit of levity into the situation.

"Oh? So you didn't go to Lex's penthouse without me? And you didn't need help getting out of there? Oh and let me remind you that you were sitting on his lap when I walked in?" Clark asked his voice rising at every interval.

She was taken aback at first. Clark didn't talk to her like that ever. It was clear that he was really upset but then her Lane instincts took over. Like the General always says "never admit defeat".

"First of all…" she started while poking her finger at his chest. "When exactly was I supposed to fill you in? You've been MIA all night and morning…. Second, Investigative Re. Port. Er. Clark! It means investigating's kinda a big part of the job. And I can't sit at home and knit while I wait for my big strong man to investigate for me. I mean have we met!" She mocked extended her hand. "Lois. Lois Lane, Daily Planet."

"That's not the point, Lois, and you know it!" Clark said. She had a point and he knew it. He also knew that he'd be reacting a lot better to the information had he not walked in to her sitting on another man's lap. He was jealous. He was man enough to admit it.

"Really? Then what is the point?" Lois frowned with her hands on her hips.

"Ididn'tlikeseeingyouonhislapok…" Clark mumbled.

"What? Is Clark Kent admitting he was jealous?" Lois asked raising an eyebrow. She'd won this round and they both knew it.

"Don't go gloating now, Lane. You still have a lot of explaining to do too." He said as he reached for her pulling her into his embrace.

She smiled up him. "And I had every intention of filling you in on everything as soon as I saw you."

"I'm sorry about that, Lois. I know I've been gone a lot lately. I just… I didn't…"

"Clark, it's ok. I get it. You've gone global and now that you've gone public you can't just speed off. You'll find a balance and in the mean time we'll take our time when we can get it."

"Well I wish I could get it now." Clark said making Lois laugh which in turn made me him blush.

" Lois, I wasn't… that's not…"

She laughingly gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I get it, Smallville, no worries. But Freud really would have a field day with you."

He really was adorable. Especially when he blushed.

He cleared his throat again trying to refocus the conversation. "And what about Bruce Wayne? Are you going to fill me in on what that little back and forth pertaining to night owls was all about?"

Lois didn't know what to do. She didn't want to keep anything from him but he better than most should understand that it wasn't her secret to tell.

"Hmmm... what…?"

Clark's cell rang.

"It's mom… guess you've been saved by the bell." He frowned as he picked up Martha's call.

"Clark! Good! I'm so glad I caught you." Her anxiety was clear to him in every word.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Clark asked as Lois turned toward him with concern etched on her features.

Clark tilted the phone so that Lois could listen in on the call.

"Oh Clark, I was trying so hard not to tell him anything until… I don't know I guess I was just hoping that when I told him about Tess I'd have good news." Martha ended on sigh.

"So where is Conner now, Mom?" Clark asked.

"I don't know… that's why I was calling you. I was hoping he'd go straight to you."

"Maybe he's at the Hospital?" Lois tried.

"Oh hi honey, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No of course not… we're always happy to hear from you, mom." She said with a smile hiding their earlier disagreement.

"Mom, what exactly did he find out?" Clark asked.

"That's just it sweetheart… I can't be sure! It could've just been that she's in the hospital or that Lex stabbed her… Clark, what if he went…" She didn't even finish her sentence as she felt the whoosh on the line. "Lois, was that Clark speeding off I just heard?"

"Yeah…" Lois sighed. "Am I ever going to get used to that?"

"Probably not dear… probably not…" Martha smiled knowingly at the young woman's voice on the line.

He sat at the edge of the ottoman lost in thought as she stretched awake noticing his presence.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Chloe asked bringing Oliver out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh… why would I want to disturb such a lovely sight?" he asked with the charming smile he was so famous for firmly in place.

She smiled back a bit sadly. "You should've woke me up; I'm always here to listen to you."

"I'm sorry, Chlo. I'm just feeling a bit out of sorts lately… I'm not sure if I'm happy about once again having my secret identity. I mean thank you for acting so quickly…"

"I'm sorry Ollie… maybe I should've asked you before I erased all of the footage of you actually admitting you were Green Arrow but when I realized that Darkseid had possessed so many and that they seemed to only remember bits and pieces of what had been happening over the last 6 months… I just thought it was the perfect time to set something right…"

"Don't get me wrong… It does make my life easier…hell it makes your life easier… I don't know what I'm saying… It's just if you could do that why haven't you…"

"Rejoined the world as Chloe Sullivan?"

"Well… yeah…"

"I don't know… I'm not ready? She isn't who I am anymore..." she shrugged before smiling softly. "I… I… love you."

"I love you too." He leaned in to drop a chaste kiss on her lips before getting up from the ottoman and walked away to change out of his Green Arrow clothes and head back to the office.

"Where is he? He almost killed her and he's not going to get away with it!" Clark could hear Conner's voice as he flew into Lex's office.

He was relieved to see he was in his superboy outfit. At least he wouldn't have to explain to everyone what Clark Kent's cousin was doing terrorizing Luthor employees while using superpowers.

"Superboy! Stand down this is not time or the place. You're better than this." Clark's voice was deeper and more intimidating.

Conner dropped the half conscious guard. "I… is…" Conner lowered his head knowing he should've controlled himself better. The idea that someone, his father… creator… it was just too weird… had stabbed his sister filled him with rage. Tess always took care of him and protected him he should've been there to do the same for her.

" I should've protected her." He whispered a voice only another super being could hear.

" I know the feeling." Superman said as he led the boy out and flew them to the hospital.

"I'm sorry about…" Conner said to Clark as they landed behind the alley of the hospital.

"No permanent damage done. But you have to think about these things. And don't think I don't understand the urge to want to track down Lex and hold him accountable, but that's not the way."

They changed into civilian clothes made their way toward her room silently.

Conner finally spoke. "It's just that she's always taken care of me and the one time she needed me to-"

"Conner, you can't blame yourself for this." He said as he rested his hand on the boys shoulder.

"So, apparently your knack for guilt is genetic. That's good to know." Lois said with amusement in her voice as she approached them.

She rubbed Conner's arm soothingly. "How about you go in there and let her know you're here…"

She nodded towards the door. Conner smiled with a nod of his head before walking in.

"Genetic?" Clark, quirked an eyebrow with a grin.

"Now… Now… Smallville don't go getting your tights in a twist." Lois said as she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

Clark laughed. "Well then it's a good thing I keep you around. Since you always manage to put a smile on my face."

"Keep me around, huh?" she smirked as she straightened his tie. He put his hand over hers.

"What?" Lois asked stopping what she was doing.

"You really have you know…" Clark said with seriousness dripping in his voice." You've always just made it all weigh less, right from the beginning."

Lois smiled softly. "Teenage Clark might disagree with that. I recall he was often quiet put out with me."

Clark smiled back at her. "Put out…? I guess that's one way to put it. And yeah, I don't think teenage me was ready to appreciate your particular brand of honesty. But even he would admit that he desperately needed someone around that didn't let him take himself so seriously."

"Hmmmm…. Is Clarkie saying that he liked me?" she dragged out clearly enjoying herself.

Clark cleared his throat. "Well, at the risk of sleeping on the couch I wouldn't go that far. But I can say that teenage Clark was very… very… very aware of the young Miss Lane. And although I never would've admitted it, I loved bickering with you."

Lois laughed.

"Kicking you out of bed might hurt me just as much…" she said in that sultry voice she knew drove him crazy as she twirled her fingers through his tie.

He pulled her in just a bit closer, but she leaned back just out of his reach.

"Oh, and I totally knew you were checking me out. Cause hello! I'm hot and you were a teenage boy. How could you resist all this?" she asked sweeping a hand over herself as his eyes followed along.

"How could I indeed." he agreed as he leaned in to kiss her.

Oliver smiled as he walked by his friends. They hadn't even noticed his presence. It was nice seeing them so happy. Somebody needed to be and after everything they'd been through they definitely deserved it.

He didn't like how he left things with Chloe. It seemed like she was pulling away and he couldn't say he blamed her but it was clear he wasn't as ready to move on as he had thought he was. Had he been hiding behind the safety of his relationship with Chloe? It was uncomplicated and easy. Had Chloe being doing the same? Was she healing from the pain of losing Jimmy?

"I'm so sorry Tess…" Oliver heard Conner saying as he walked into the room.

"Hey Kid…" Oliver greeted with a grin. He frowned when Conner flashed him a scowl. "You did nothing wrong, Conner… she didn't tell any of us what she was doing…"

Conner wiped a tear from his eye as he looked back up at the older man. "It's just…"

"Trust me on this one, I understand. But she wouldn't want either of us to blame ourselves for what happened. And I'm sure she knew that we never would've just let her go to that psycho's den without back up."

Suddenly Oliver remembered whom he was talking to. "Sorry… I…"

Conner waved him off. "It's cool. I know I'm technically related to him. But my family is Tess, Clark, Lois, and Martha. They're the people that love me and that's what family is, right?"

"You're absolutely right." Oliver nodded with a soft smile. "And we'll make sure Lex doesn't go unpunished. So don't worry about that either."

"Oh man. Did Clark tell you what I did?"

Oliver laughed. "No. But he didn't have to. The cameras I have watching LexCorp were happy to though. But don't worry I made sure they all got wiped and it'll just be your word against theirs about what actually happened."

"Thanks. You know for looking out…"

Ollie laughed. "Well you're not an 'official' member yet but you're still part of this team and we always have each other's backs."


	4. Episode 2 Metropolis Part 2

Oliver walked back into Tess' room. It seemed like he always found his way back to her. Maybe he always would. He thought back to when Zod confirmed his suspicions about the darkness and how he didn't tell anyone what was going on with him. But, he'd suspected Tess knew something was off.

He smiled as he stroked her hair, talking to her about his day as he took a seat next to her bed.

"I'm just going to sit here for a bit, Tess. I know I'm avoiding her. I don't know why." He spoke out loud as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"I grabbed a change of clothes at the office. I didn't even go home. I'm not… I don't know… maybe some things aren't supposed to end with a bang. They're just supposed to move on quietly."

He leaned back against the chair closing his eyes.

"Mademoiselle Leger!" Someone called out to her interrupting the intense moment she was having Lex. They had drifted into an awkward silence neither willing to reveal their hand.

He knew she suspected something wasn't right with him. But, Lex wasn't sure just how much he could trust this ex-wife of his that once faked her own death and lived under an assumed name all to get away from him. He was also startled by the unexpected interruption.

"Excusez-moi… cette juste venu pour vous …" Lana took the offered note. "Merci." she nodded. It was from Chloe the only person besides Clark who knew where she was.

_HS is dying… asking for you… at MU Hospital… thought you'd want to know… CS_

"Look, clearly whatever it is you want from me isn't going to get solved right at this moment." Lana said as she took the note burning it with the candle on the table.

Lex raised an eyebrow and leaned back. "Whatever that was clearly ruffled your feathers…"

"Please stop… I'm tired and you're clearly not you. Well not _the you_ I'm used to anyway and to be honest I'm both curious and in need of a lift. You brought the jet, I presume." She stated flatly as she rose from her seat.

Lex quickly rose throwing down some money on the table as he followed her out. "Yes, of course…"

She turned around quickly. The woman was going to give him whiplash with her mercurial temperament, but damn he liked it. He smirked at her as she interrupted him yet again.

"Don't... I know you're confused. It's in your eyes Lex. I may not want to admit it to anyone outside of the two of us but I know you. I understand you and…" she sighed. "I'll help you. Just take us back to Metropolis."

"Thank you." he said as he signaled his car over to them and opened the door for her.

She walked in quietly to Tess' room. She didn't want to wake him up knowing he'd been out patrolling, trying to keep himself busy. She walked over to the other side of Tess' bed.

"It's funny… all this time I've been here and everyone touches you… they grip your hand or stroke your hair and I can't bring myself to do the same." Chloe whispered to Tess. "It's like I feel something different. I mean… I want you to wake up. I do… if for no other reason than because he wants it so badly… and selfishly I want my husband's focus back on me…" Chloe sadly whispered to herself.

Chloe got up to leave Tess' room. It'd been nearly a week since she'd been stabbed. She didn't know what else they could do for the redhead. She finally touched her hand as went out to leave and go meet Lois in a nearby café.

"I've been feeling odd lately." Chloe confessed to Lois.

"Well, Chlo… a lot's been going on. That's hardly surprising." Lois said with a comforting smile as she sat down to join her at the small café outside of the hospital.

"True. But this is more like before… you know before Brainiac took me over and did something to my powers…" Chloe whispered to her cousin.

"What do you mean? Like they're back? Or something?" Lois asked her voice full of concern.

Chloe gripped her hand. Something was wrong.

"Chloe?" Lois watched as her grip loosened and she collapsed onto the floor in front of her. "Chloe!"

Lois quickly dropped to the ground by her side and touched her neck feeling for a heartbeat. She felt her eyes water when she didn't feel one. Lois turned her head around. "Someone help!" she turned back to her unconscious cousin. "Come on Chlo…. Don't do this…. Not today…."

He'd fallen asleep by her bedside again. He hadn't meant to. After his patrol he'd meant to go back to the penthouse with Chloe. He felt her grip on his hand and his eyes opened slowly. He took in his surroundings and looked down at the woman on the bed when he felt her stirring.

"Come on Mercy... You can do it… open those baby blues for me, Tess... I need you to…"

Oliver leaned towards her willing her back to awareness.

Her eyes blinked slowly before they opened wide.

"Emil!"

"Emil!"

Two different voices raced down the corridor colliding in their haste to reach their friend.

Emil swung open the door. "Oliver. Lois. You two do realize you're inside a hospital…? A bit of decorum if you please."

"Tess! Woke up!"

"Chloe! Collapsed!"

They both shouted at him out of breath.

"What!" Lois and Oliver swung towards each other. "Did you say?"

"Okay. One at a time, what do you mean she collapsed, and she woke up?" Emil asked glancing first at Lois then at Oliver.

"Yes!" they both said in unison.

Oliver grabbed Lois by both arms. "Wait! She collapsed? How? Where is she?"

"I freaked out a bit but she was mentioning Brainiac and then I remembered about her_ gift_…" Lois air quoted as Oliver let go of her.

"And I thought the ER probably was not the best place to take her… with her being all pulse-less and all…"

"What!" both Oliver and Emil said this time.

"No… I mean she's got a pulse now. She's still not responding but her pulse is a good sign, right? I mean Clark once said she was dead for eighteen hours. So I figure this is a good sign, right?"

"Lois." Oliver started slowly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Chloe never told you?" Emil asked looking at Oliver.

"Her meteor power!" Lois answered.

"Chloe doesn't have a meteor power." Oliver said eyes moving back and forth between the two.

"Well. Not now she doesn't!" Lois explained.

"Well, I guess she thought she did… I mean if Tess is awake at the same time as Chloe collapses that can't be a coincidence." Emil said as he closed the door behind them.

"What?" Oliver asked in confusion.

"Where are they?" Emil ignored Oliver.

"Tess is with her other doctor. They are looking her over and I told her I'd be right back. After I went and found you." Oliver responded.

"After my initial meltdown, I put Chloe on a gurney and in one of the empty rooms and rushed over to get you. I didn't know what to do and I don't trust her with another doctor." Lois said as she looked at Emil pleadingly. She was really worried about her cousin. Chloe and Clark had told her about the time Chloe had healed her and she'd never really understood the severity of it until just now. How had Clark handled this all on his own?

"Well, has Chloe ever attempted to use her powers since Brianiac was removed from her body?"

"I don't think…."

"I honestly can't say." Lois finally settled on. "Maybe Clark knows better.

"Smallville I need you." She said out loud.

Both men in the room stumbled back as a whoosh of wind suddenly burst in.

"What? What happened? You ok?" Clark asked as he looked Lois over running his hands over her hair and face. Lois hugged him tightly. "Ok… what's going on?" Clark asked finally acknowledging the other two men in the room.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" Emil asked as he took off his glasses to rub the imaginary dust off them.

"Is it really bad news? I mean won't she just wake up?" Oliver asked looking between Emil and Clark.

"Good, Bad I don't care I just need a clue. Lois?" He gently pulled her back to look at her face.

"I'm sorry... Clark, its just she was dead. I mean no pulse and then not. And how did you deal with that all by yourself." Lois looked at him sadly.

"Wait… Chloe? Is she ok?" Clark asked with anxiety in his voice. "I'm going to go check on her. What room is she in, Lois?"

Emil walked toward the door with the three of them following him out.

"Room 2443B. Its two rooms down from Tess'

"So wait if Chloe is…" Clark couldn't finish the thought. "And Tess is…"

"It seems that way." Lois said holding his hand in her own as they walked down the corridor following Emil and Oliver.

"Well, Emil what is your diagnosis" Oliver asked as they all stood by Chloe's beside, each of them watching Emil with matching expressions.

"Honestly, I don't know. According to what Clark said she should just heal herself and wake up."

"But, why does she even have her powers back? I mean if she'd had them all along she'd have saved Jimmy, she's never going to forgive herself…" Clark ended with sorrow in his voice for his lost friend.

Lois reached to take his hand and Oliver's as well. She could see the grief in their eyes still at the mention of their lost friend. She missed him too.

"No… No… That's not what I meant. See from what you've told me, when Brainiac struck he rendered Lana catatonic, an empty shell. The same wasn't true for Chloe. Her body protected itself the best way it knew how expelling her power all around herself and forcing herself into a coma. A coma that I believe she'd have eventually healed herself of even without Brianiac's destruction." They all nodded in understanding interested in anything that could possibly explain what was happening.

"See the thing is…" Emil continued. "If we continue with that train of thought then all this time her body's been healing itself and unbeknownst to her part of that healing process is the reactivation of her ability to heal."

"So, you're saying Chloe has nothing to feel guilty about, her power simply wasn't able to be harnessed when…" Lois stopped not wanting to finish that train of thought.

"Exactly!" Emil said understanding her hesitancy.

"Ok, that's good then." Oliver said. "But what about Tess? I mean she's up but her legs? I mean shouldn't she have the full use of them back."

"Well yes, but remember for lack of a better way of saying it Chloe's powers are a bit rusty. So well who knows…?"

They all just stared at him blankly as he shrugged.

"Okay…" Oliver dragged out each syllable. "I'll be right back. I'll just go check on her. She doesn't know what's going on and..."

"Go… we'll be fine. I won't leave her." Lois said as he nodded and headed out of the room. Emil followed behind Oliver with a quick nod.

"And you... If you need to whoosh…" she made a little take off motion with her hands as she made the noise. "Go ahead we'll be fine here."

She put on a brave smile for her fiancé.

"Lois there's no where I need to be at the moment other then with you and Chloe. You guys are my family." She went to interrupt him but he shushed her with a finger to her lips.

"But if someone needs me I can hear them from here just as well as anywhere else. And I can," he smiled copying her previous hand movement, "whoosh there and back in no time." He finished as he rested his back against the chair maneuvering Lois into his arms at the same time.

-/-

Oliver quietly opened the door to Tess' room not wanting to disturb her if she was resting.

"Oh, come in already." the redhead said.

He couldn't remember ever hearing anything more beautiful than the sound of her voice even if she was annoyed with him. He smiled to himself.

"Well... Care to tell me just what the hell happened. I was ready to die and well clearly I didn't."

"Well that was stupid of you." Oliver said as he sat down on her bed taking her hand and proceeded to tell her everything that had been going on, down playing his participation at the same time.

-/-

She was anxious he could tell he simply wasn't sure how he knew. If anyone were to look at her all they'd see is an exceedingly beautiful woman, cool and graceful. But he knew, he might not actively remember her but it seemed there was some things the mind or perhaps the heart never forgot. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly as the limo drove them from the airport to the hospital. Her father was asking for her, dying it seemed. She'd confided in him. He was awed she'd actually told him the truth.

Lana looked down to where Lex squeezed her hand in comfort. In comfort she smiled softly to herself remembering the man she once loved and married oddly comforted by the fact that she really hadn't made him up, there had been a decent soul buried underneath it all.

-/-

Clark was passing by the kitchen not wanting to wake Lois up. They'd just returned from the hospital. Although Chloe's vitals were strong she still hadn't woken up. Lois didn't want to leave her or Oliver. When Tess rolled in on her wheelchair somehow getting herself out of bed and asked to speak her Lois nodded her head squeezing his hand. Clark knew he could've just listened in but it was a private moment between the women and he didn't want to interfere. He didn't realize he'd been holding the counter so tightly until it broke in half making a loud crash.

"So much for not waking Lois up…" he muttered.

A soft laugh sounded in the background. "No kidding... of course I woke up when I felt you get up. Just can't seem to sleep as well when your not there…"

She smiled at him.

He smiled back taking the hand she reached out to him as he sat on the stool. Lois moved to stand in between his legs.

"I'm sorry about the counter. I'll fix it tomorrow I promise."

"Clark, it's just a counter it'll keep…" she said as he lifted his chin up to her.

"I'm so sorry Lois... About Chloe… When will those meteors stop wrecking everyone's life? I wish they never landed on earth!" He said in an anguished voice turning his head from her about to move away.

When he felt her hands holding him down she really couldn't keep him in his spot they both knew but breaking away from Lois' touch never occurred to him.

"Now you listen to me Clark Kent… yes the meteors came and they wrecked a whole lot of havoc but so what!" Clark raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah I said it! So What! They also brought you…" she ended on a whisper. "They brought the Kent's the child they'd been praying for, they brought the world a savior, hope for a better life, and they brought me a gift I didn't even know I'd been wishing for…" she said looking at him as tears glistened in eyes. "So don't you ever say you wish it had never happened!"

"I'm sorry, Lois." he said stroking her hair off her face.

"And stop saying sorry, Smallville." she said as she rested her forehead against his.

"Sorry…" he said with a grimace as the both burst out laughing. And suddenly she was in his arms and he was guiding her down onto their bed, his hands ran along her long legs, kissing the back of her knees and Lois last coherent thought was about how he does that to drive all other coherent thoughts from her head.

-/-

Back at the hospital Tess and Oliver sat silently as he turned to her. "Care to share what you could've said to legs to get her to leave her cousins side?"

He quirked an eyebrow in Tess' direction.

"I was wondering how long it'd take you to ask…" she smiled wearily at him.

"Well..." he said impatiently smiling at her with a charming smile.

"Lane and I understand each other and..." Tess sighed. "She understands why I need to be here for you both."

"Tess..." Oliver said on a breath reaching out to take her hands. "Chloe would never want you to feel responsible for this. Honestly, I don't think she did it on purpose." he ended on laugh and she laughed softly with him, as they both looked upon the blonde silently praying she'd wake up soon.

- end chapter -

_"__Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over." _


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